Under The Same Sky
by Aenlic
Summary: A series of drabbles from all the games that don't belong anywhere else. "o9: Reminiscence, sacrifice, courage."
1. Tir&Ted : Under The Same Sky

**Ted & Tir - Under the Same Sky**

There are times when he sits up quietly in the middle of the night and hears a soft sobbing that no one else seems to hear. He points it out once to Gremio, who merely describes it as a nightmare that doesn't seem too bad - Pahn and Cleo don't reply either, and Tir knows that his father would never, ever do that, so that leaves Ted. 

Ted's a mystery to Tir sometimes, how the older boy can switch between happy and solemn faces in the blink of an eye - he can tell Ted's hiding something but he doesn't really care, so long as he has his best friend with him by his side, nothing else had ever mattered.

Ted tells him stories, of a Prince named Lazlo who never knew he was a Prince and led a Kingdom to freedom - he's heard about the same story from Gremio before, only the one Gremio named had been situated in a Kingdom of Obel, and the story Ted told involved a Prince who never knew he was a Prince. They laugh at some of the characters Ted brings up - a man obsessed with red roses, a man who always believed he was sick and thought flour was a perfectly well-made medicine(though Tir pitied him for being tricked) and ongoing wars of mint and mushrooms. The stories are vivid and interesting and Ted tells them with so much zest, Tir finds it hard to believe that everything's just make-belief. He asks, one day, if Ted's been there before - and the latter just looks at him and smiles.

He still hears the sobbing every once in a while, even past his gaining of the Souleater, even past Ted's death. And when he finally figures that those stories weren't just stories, but memories of a boy who had been alone for so many years, Tir whispers that exactly into the rune.

When the nightmares eventually come for him, he does not sob like Ted once did, because Tir knows that Ted is watching him, protecting him and he knows he is not alone.

_owari._


	2. Faroush&Arshtat : Rain

**Faroush & Arshtat - Rain**

He had, one day, come to envision his mother as the sun after it was driven into his head that Arshtat's forehead bore the Sun Rune and, ever since then, Faroush started to hate the rain, because he thought, one day, the rain was going to take his sun away. 

_owari._


	3. Lazlo : Eyes

**Lazlo - Eyes**

He sometimes dreams at night of a woman coming up to his bedside to touch his forehead, a gentle smile always visible on her face. She makes no other move, choosing only to stand by his side as she studies his features carefully with eyes that sparkle with a mixture of sorrow and mirth; she stands there until he wakes, because when he does, she vanishes as quiet as she had come, leaving behind only a small lingering scent of sea spray and the gardens of Obel.

It's a funny dream, because Lazlo is sure he has never seen her face before in his entire life; he remembers faces and names well. Standing up, he glances in the mirror and, for a moment, freezes when he thinks that she has appeared in front of him again. It takes a moment for him to register that it is only his reflection that is staring back at him and another for him to understand the fact that he shares her eyes.

_owari._


	4. Roy&Faroush : Reflection

**Roy & Faroush - Reflection**

He looked like the prince. 

It didn't take a genius to figure that out - but, staring at the mirror, even Roy himself was amazed at how identical they looked, as long as he had his wig and the royal clothes on. The clothes were, according to their client, made from pure silk, and an exact replica of the clothes the prince himself adorned. The silk, both slippery and cool against his skin, made him squirm slightly. It felt good, but it felt wrong... It _felt_ **wrong**.

He reached one hand out and touched the mirror, his breath condensing on the glass in front of him.

Roy knew, then, that this was wrong, that he might look like the prince, but he would never be the prince. There was no way in hell that the prince would ever swoop so low to come in contact with a beggar, the way his reflection did now._  
_

_owari._


	5. Richard&Mueller : Reasons Why

**Richard & Mueller - Reasons Why  
**  
"Why do you like Mueller so much?"

Richard takes in the question slowly, blinks and glances up to the ceiling.

_**Why -**_

Blood, so much blood of his own, leaving his body and onto the ground. He hears the crickets chirp from where he lies, and hears the birds sing in spite of his pain.

_**- do -**_

He does not look up. The sun blinds him, and if he looks up, he knows the man would hit him again until he stopped crying.

_**- you -**_

_"Fa -"_

He never completes his words, as the breath escapes him. His ribcages feels abused, and it hurts so much to just try and breathe...

_**- like -**_

...he wonders if he should give up.

_Heh_. Maybe.

_**- Mueller -**_

He closes his eyes and prepares for that final attack; he awaits his death.

He hears a scream - not his own, but seemingly familiar.

He opens his eyes and tilts his head upwards, towards the sky...

Someone grabs him and pulls him upwards, and he coughs as his injuries scream and lash at his body. And as he rises to his feet, the older man falls.

The crowd yells.

He watches as the stranger cleans his sword free of the blood of the man he had slain. Quietly, he looks on as the stranger spits on the corpse of the man.

_**- so -**_

"What is it, boy?"

Five days later, at the infirmary, he only smiles as he announces for all to hear: "I love Mueller!"

_**- much?**_

Richard lowers his sight from the ceiling to the newspaper man and smiles. "I love Mueller," he insists, grinning and ignoring the shadow that was Mueller's slowly creeping up behind him. "I love -"

The pain does not matter, though it reminds him of something so far away.

Still, he loves Muller anyway.

_owari.  
_


	6. Sagiri : Thoughts

**Sagiri - Thoughts**

Her reflection shows her smiling and her face barely aches after all those hours of practising and being drilled to lift the corner of her lips upwards; Sagiri looks deeper at herself, and wonders - she wonders how the curve of her lips looks real, wonders how it can even look real - when the smile is held up by _strain_, not happiness; _forcibly_, not willingly.

She turns away, and leaves the mirror behind; in her mind, Sagiri sees her reflection's smile fading into a sad frown at the sudden thought of being alone and she wonders if she'll ever get the chance to do the same.

_owari._


	7. Ted&Lazlo : One Life For Many 1

**Ted & Lazlo - One Life For Many (Part I)  
**

The colours of flare and destruction illuminated the darkened sky as the docked ship waited. Onboard the Dauntless, Ted found himself lingering on the deck, fingering an arrow, his bow ready to fire as the flames burned on. 

"It's too dangerous to stay here!"

"But Lady Elenor, she's _still -_" Agnes' voice broke off in the middle of her yell, and her words became nothing but a mumble.

He glanced at Snowe, Kika and Lazlo in turn; Snowe was pointedly nervous, Kika stood calm and fearless in the face of adversity, Lazlo was - was... Ted blinked at the strange solemn look that had formed on the bearer's face; he turned, deciding it was not his place to ask.

With a great groan, the Dauntless suddenly lurched forward and made a turn. It seemed Agnes' plea had not moved whoever was now manning the ship's steering wheel. Kika's lips moved, whispering words he could not hear over the crashing of the waves, but he could read her lips...

_One life for many._

_One, and a hundred and seven, _Ted muttered under his breath,_ one for a hundred and seven and more._ He paused as his right hand twitched, the rune calling and crowing for his attention, and he recalled the faces of the children he once knew, the adults that risked all - _his grandfather..._

_One life for many; Elenor was not coming back._

The truth hurt; it _always_ did - up to now, Ted could not forget what the villagers had done for him, could not forget the individuals who had lost their lives to secure both the little child and the rune he bore.

"Kooluk ship to starboard!"

Nico's yell jerked him out of his trance. Ted watched as the approaching ship closed the distance, and watched as Lazlo walked towards the edge of the Dauntless.

_One life for many -_

_La -_

"Lazlo!"

It took him a while to register that it was he who had called out, and another to figure out why.

Lazlo turned, the solemn mask melting away into a calm smile.

_He doesn't care,_ Ted realised slowly, _he doesn't care what happens to him now; it's over. It's -_

The bearer of the Rune of Punishment nodded, and returned his attention to the man standing lone on the Kooluk ship.

_One life for many, _Ted repeated to himself. _Surely, _he thought, _one life was enough._

_tbc.  
_


	8. Ted&Lazlo : One Life For Many 2

**Ted & Lazlo - One Life For Many (Part II)**

He would not have hesitated had it seemed Lazlo was losing the duel - but Ted had, whatever little of it, faith in the leader of the Army and Captain of the Dauntless, and so he waited.

Lazlo did not disappoint. The teen had easily seen through Troy's feign, and broke through the latter's defence. One sword placed inches away from Troy's neck, poised to kill - Lazlo suddenly pulled back, and turned away. Ted knew he was not the only one gaping as Lazlo jumped back onto the Dauntless, leaving the enemy commander behind -

"This matter's settled," Lazlo said simply, quietly as Troy nodded.

The Kooluk ship was sinking.

Ted blinked; he was sure of it - the slow, rocky movements of the ship, gradually lowering into the water... _And Lazlo,_ Ted realised, _who had been on the ship must have known all along-_

Then... _why_?

Troy was saying something, but over the howling wind, he couldn't hear. The King of Obel stood by Lazlo's side and, by now, the Kooluk ship was almost entirely submerged.

He remembered - a outstretched hand, grasping on to his. A smile that was friendly and welcomed him onboard. And the boy's answer - _it's alright, he's fine with it. As long as he's living... As long as he doesn't pass it on..._

_Why are you not offering him help? Lazlo!_

"Damn that idiot," the King of Obel muttered, voicing Ted's thoughts aloud, "Wasting his precious life..."

Lazlo didn't move from where he stood, watching the ship sink. Ted looked on as well, inwardly scoffing at the almost ceremonial air that surrounded the entire crew of Dauntless as they witnessed the sinking of the enemy ship.

_One life- No. No,_ Ted thought, _it was two now. Two lives._

Above the creaking of the ship and the loud crashing of the waves, he could barely hear Agnes' strangled cry just once again. "Lady Elenor!"

He could see himself in her shoes, calling for his grandfather, the Rune embedded deep inside his palm. _And there was... somebody... Somebody had saved him back then -_

In the midst of his thoughts, El-Eal exploded. 

It was a fire too small to be contained, and the fire - the light - grew and grew, reaching for the Dauntless and its crew. He was thrown backwards as the explosion rocked the waves and made the ship uneven. All about him, the former knights of Gaien tried to regain their balance as the light grew stronger and brighter -

"Lazlo!"

The King of Obel's voice could be heard over everything. Despair, rage, sorrow... But it wasn't just his voice; Ted found his sight draw to his right, where Lazlo stood tall against the blinding light and found himself screaming and calling the other's name.

_Lazlo, no --_

Slowly, steadily, the teen raised his left hand.

_-- Lazlo, no, Lazlo --_

Light shone. Instead of sickly yellow that threatened the lives of the crew aboard the Dauntless, it glowed a vibrant red, shining protectively over the ship. That red light condensed and expanded and -

_Lazlo!_

- there was a cry in the air. Maybe it was the Rune screaming, maybe it was the effects of the spell - or maybe it was the reason for his hoarse throat as he shielded his eyes, clenched his fists and _hoped_.

Surely...

_Surely, _Ted thought quietly as he opened his eyes and dropped his hands,_ two lives for many were more than enough._

_tbc._

**notes:** So...! I kind of realised the first part played with canon (oops ;; ) but I guess I'll have to make do...? This series of drabbles(?) isn't over yet - there's a part III, and there might be a part IV if I'm up to it.

A-and thank you everyone for the nice comments! It's really reviews that make me want to write more :3


	9. Ted&Lazlo : One Life For Many 3

**Ted & Lazlo - One Life For Many (Part III)**

He doesn't know why he's come back here after all those years. Maybe it's the yearning or the memories of the sea that draws him in but Ted just shrugs it all off as he rests Aldo's bow beside him and looks up at the sun. Obel is bright and beautiful now unlike most of what he's seen up north after the collapse of Kooluk. He's heard all the stories and rumours of how it was the Princess of Kooluk who had fought the ones who wanted to take over her throne and how the Island Nations had sent help, from the Knights of Razril to the King and Princess of Obel...

And all Ted can think of is how they haven't changed.

Even after...

_"I'm going to die," Lazlo said quietly, almost indifferent._

"You're still alive."

"...barely," the other admitted, "I feel like going to sleep for a really long time and not wake..."

"You'll be fine."

A wry smile covered his lips, "Are you telling me this or are you trying to convince yourself... Ted?"

How could he have said anything to that?

Lazlo laughed but sobered. "I think I'm scared," he said. "Death... If I die here, the curse will pass on, wouldn't it?"

"Lazlo -"

"I'll die alone. A boat, out at sea. Maybe it won't do any good but..."

"Lazlo!"

"At least... For a while..."

He's not crying. He can't cry here.

"I'm sorry... Ted."

They had sent him out on a boat, half-conscious, with the Rune slowly draining away what was left of his lifeforce. He could have sworn Lazlo was smiling as they pushed the boat away and sailed on towards Obel. There was a celebration, with it the announcement of the Island Nations Federation but it was nothing. It couldn't be anything if the ones who had made it all happen - Elenor, Troy and Lazlo - were all dead.

_Three lives,_ Ted thinks, _three lives... for a hundred and six and more._

He's almost asleep when somebody comes beside him and his instincts force him to open his eyes and look. There's a small boy watching him, smiling, "Are you an archer?"

For a moment, he wants to leave. But he forces himself to nod.

"You know," the boy continues, "my cousin told me about a friend of his. He said his friend was an archer but he was very sad and, umm, antisocial? That he wouldn't do anything unless people asked him too."

Ted blinks.

"But my cousin says that that person is a good friend of his no matter what! Because they're... connected? Linked by fate and destiny, right?"

_I can't believe I'm listening to this._ Ted sighs. "Right," he says, grabbing Aldo's bow and standing up. He's about to leave when the boy runs away and there's something -- a strange feeling. He glances in the direction that the boy had ran off to; there's a red cloth in the wind, tied around brown hair - _it's longer now_ - and there are blue eyes looking straight at him.

Maybe it's a mirage, maybe it's his imagination but already Ted feels his heart is lighter.

_Liar, _he grumbles mentally but not without relief as he turns and heads for the docks. Behind him, he knows that person is waving and smiling and maybe, on his face, he's smiling too.

He knows now why he came back.

If Lazlo could be brave, then he himself could be too.

_tbc?_

**notes:** Technology and I have this love/hate relationship. Computers, laptops, storage devices - as long as ownership is mine, they all crash sooner or later. Or I have one of those absentminded days and forget to back up stuff before sending in my laptop to reformat. Fortunately for me, this piece had been enshrined in the Sent Mail portion of my email account. The wonders of storage space online!

...would you believe this was written last year? I knew I had some vague reason for why Ted didn't approach Lazlo, but it's been a year. More than a year. I won't be able to explain why unless I happen to have copies of my chat logs and the chances of that are close to zero.


End file.
